7 Insider Facts About IT: Welcome to Derry

You might think you’ve seen everything Pennywise has to offer after two record breaking IT films but HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry is about to prove you wrong.

This prequel revisits Stephen King’s most terrifying creation and it expands the entire mythology. Set decades before the Losers Club, the series dives deep into Derry’s origin story, blending Cold War paranoia, supernatural dread, and grounded human fear.

For filmmakers, this show is a masterclass in how to expand a horror universe without losing its soul. For fans, it’s a front-row seat to the untold nightmares that shaped Pennywise’s rise.

Quick Overview

Title: It: Welcome to Derry
Release Date: October 26, 2025
Platform: Max (formerly HBO Max)
Episodes: 8
Director/Producer: Andy Muschietti
Writers: Brad Caleb Kane & Jason Fuchs
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Madeleine Stowe
Studio: Warner Bros. Television

1) It: Welcome to Derry plunges into 1962

Decades before the Losers Club showed up, digging into Pennywise’s twisted origins.

HBO’s prequel transports us back to 1962 Derry, twenty-seven years before the 2017 It film, during one of Pennywise’s earlier feeding cycles.

This isn’t a nostalgic flashback — it’s the foundation of the monster’s mythology. The setting pulls from Stephen King’s “Derry Interludes” — the chilling journal entries that hinted at how the town’s darkness predates the Losers Club.

The new story introduces entirely fresh characters rather than revisiting familiar faces, giving writers room to explore Pennywise’s evolving influence over generations. Think of it as the It universe before the world noticed.

2) Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise

But this time we see a darker, more haunting version that’s not messing around.

Bill Skarsgård is back, but not the way you remember him. This time, his performance leans heavily into psychological horror, focusing less on jump scares and more on the creature’s disturbing intellect.

Skarsgård admitted that returning to Pennywise was “mentally exhausting.” His performance was so unnerving on set that crew members reportedly requested breaks between takes.

The creative team structured the show so Pennywise’s full reveal doesn’t happen immediately — echoing Jaws and Alien — letting dread build slowly before unleashing the horror.

In short: if Skarsgård’s 2017 portrayal gave you nightmares, his 1962 Pennywise will haunt you in new ways.

3) New characters like Major Leroy Hanlon bring fresh perspective

The series expands Derry’s nightmare landscape with new characters like Major Leroy Hanlon, shaking up the familiar territory.

Forget the Losers Club. Welcome to Derry introduces Major Leroy Hanlon, a U.S. Air Force officer stationed in town who starts noticing disappearances and strange patterns the locals ignore.

That last name isn’t random — Leroy is connected to Mike Hanlon, the future librarian from the original It saga.

The series also follows a group of local kids — Teddy, Phil, Lilly, and Ronnie — who witness Derry’s secrets unravel firsthand. This blend of military investigation and small-town horror gives the show both scale and intimacy, expanding the scope beyond childhood trauma to generational fear.

4) Cold War paranoia mixes with supernatural horror

Expect cold war tensions mixed with supernatural horror; it’s not just scary clowns, it’s history bleeding into fear.

By setting the story in the early 1960s, the show taps into real-world tension: nuclear fear, government secrets, and postwar anxiety.

This isn’t just period flavor — it’s thematic fuel. Pennywise feeds on division and dread, and the Cold War provided plenty of both.

Think MKUltra meets cosmic evil. The writers weave historical paranoia into Derry’s mythology, showing how collective fear itself becomes a supernatural weapon.

For filmmakers, it’s a reminder that the best horror mirrors the anxieties of its era — and Welcome to Derry nails that balance perfectly.

5) Andy Muschietti’s hands on producing

Keeping the prequel tightly linked to his blockbuster films

Andy Muschietti didn’t just pass the torch — he kept his hand on the lens. Serving as executive producer alongside Barbara Muschietti, Andy ensured tonal and visual continuity with his It duology.

This tight creative control means the series looks and feels like a natural extension of the films — shadow-heavy cinematography, painterly lighting, and practical creature effects all return.

The Muschiettis reportedly mapped out a multi-season arc covering Pennywise’s full history — from 1908 to the 1960s — creating a structured timeline that honors King’s mythology while offering new material for long-time fans.

6) The series mines Kings’ Derry Interludes

The show pulls from those obscure interlude chapters in Stephen King’s book, filling gaps no movie dared to touch.

For King purists, this might be the biggest reward. The “Derry Interludes” — those unsettling historical vignettes Mike Hanlon records in the book — finally come to life.

You’ll see infamous events like the Black Spot fire, the Bradley Gang shootout, and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion woven directly into the show’s storyline.

These moments expose Derry’s true nature: a town complicit in its own evil. By leaning into these vignettes, Welcome to Derry expands It from a creature story into a study of collective moral decay.

It’s the kind of adaptation move only long-form storytelling can pull off — and HBO’s format gives it room to breathe.

7) HBO is treating this like prestige horror

HBO Max bet big on this, highlighting it as a premium dive into Derry’s blood-soaked backstory with killer production value.

From budget to marketing, HBO is positioning Welcome to Derry as a flagship event series — not a spin-off.

The production design rebuilds Derry from scratch, with an intricate 1960s town square, full sewer systems, and functional period storefronts. All were built practically on Toronto soundstages to capture King’s eerie small-town atmosphere.

Expect top-tier cinematography, practical creature work, and that familiar HBO storytelling polish — where horror isn’t just visual, it’s emotional.

This isn’t television horror. It’s cinematic horror built for streaming — proof that the It universe still has room to grow.

Final Thoughts: Expanding Fear, Preserving Legacy

It: Welcome to Derry is more than a prequel — it’s a study in how to expand a beloved horror world without diluting its power.

By exploring the psychology, history, and human cost behind the monster, HBO and the Muschiettis have transformed Derry into a living, breathing symbol of fear itself.

For Stephen King fans, this is the missing piece. For filmmakers, it’s a masterclass in mythology-driven storytelling done right.